Eating Utensils for Hiking/Camping?

[nate j]

As the title implies, I’m curious what eating utensils everyone likes/uses for hiking/camping.


The ideal solution would be functional, versatile, lightweight, inexpensive, easy to clean/sanitize, and not a puncture hazard.


I’ve tried or at least considered a number of options, but none seem wholly satisfactory…


Full-size separate fork & spoon (either “camp” or out of the drawer at home) - This is generally my choice.  No compromise here in terms of functionality, cost is low, easy to clean/sanitize; but may not be the lightest option and I’m always a bit concerned that the fork will end up puncturing something I’d prefer it didn’t.


Hobo knife or similar - Seems like these are heavy and difficult to clean/sanitize, and good quality ones tend to be expensive.  I’ve also come to the conclusion that I don’t need a separate knife for food, as I’m always carrying another knife that will do the job if food needs to be cut.  About the only advantage I can see to this type of tool is that the pointy bits are usually well protected when folded.


Spork  - Many have handles that are too short to work well.  They appear to come in two basic varieties. 

The first, which I’ll call single-ended, has only one end to eat off, and usually the characteristic spoon shape with very short fork tines.  I feel like these are a poor substitute for a real fork, and only slightly better as a spoon.  Not a fan.

The second type, which I’ll call double-ended, features a fork and spoon at opposite ends of the same handle.  Seems like it could be a good option, if I can find one that is well-designed and executed.


DIY - Some advocate for making one’s own eating utensils as needed.  According to Nessmuk, “It is not necessary to take table cutlery into the woods. A good fork may be improvised from a beech or birch stick; and the half of a fresh-water mussel shell, with a split stick by way of handle, makes an excellent spoon.”  Perhaps I simply require practice, but this approach seems to me inefficient at best, and at worst a non-starter if suitable materials aren’t readily available.


Chopsticks - I’ve considered this as an alternative.  While I’m actually pretty good with chopsticks, I find that while certain foods are easy to eat with them, others can range from difficult to virtually impossible.  Doesn’t have the versatility to handle all foods.


So, what do you prefer and why?  Any options I’m overlooking?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I tend to keep going back to the Light My Fire Spork, which has been repeatedly stated that it is not a spork as it has a spoon on one end and a fork on the other rather than having tines cut into the bowl of the spoon.  I am really not up on the technical requirements of sporks, so I don't let that get in the way of using them!



I have some similar ones made by Outbound, a brand owned by Canadian Tire and I like them as well because they have a bit of jimping in the middle for better grip.

I've had a whole lot of different utensils for camping and outdoor eating, but the price, quality, availability and effectiveness keep me going back to the Light My Fire spork and the Outbound copies.

But, as you can see, this is a topic that has been covered a lot over the years, so there's obviously no right answer!   

Camping Utensils

Let's talk about sporks baby

My Sporks for Merit Badge

So much food, why not use a spork or three?

The Spork's weird history

And there is many, many more threads than just those!   

I have used a whole bunch of different ones over the years though- from a full set of utensils that are held together with a carabiner to a one handed opening, liner locking tactical spork, to a Light My Fire style spork that has tines on the bowl and a knife blade in place of the fork. 



I am always interested in hearing what works for other people!

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

I knew there was a spork I was forgetting....

Similar in style to the Light My Fire and Outbound sporks, these models from UCO are a bit sturdier.  I still wouldn't try eating an overcooked steak with them, but they are quite nice. 



Def

[MadPlumbarian]

Not the best of pics but I have no clue where they are, I did find the yellow light my fire one cause the kid and his buddy are going camping and he has a mess kit but he wasn’t sure if his buddy would remember to bring something, I like the light my fire ones, I even used it for a year straight,, those others like the black one on the right even has a salt and pepper shaker on the end, and the one next to it folds, that’s in the mini kit..
JR

[MadPlumbarian]

Better pic, like I said the kids going on a mini camping trip so I dug a few must haves, but you also can’t forget the famous multitool 1M post spork! 
JR

[nate j]

Thanks guys!

I’ve ordered a LMF Ti Spork.

I’m not keen on plastic utensils (prefer metal), but when I realized UCO also made a Ti version, I ordered one of those as well.

At around $25 each, these weren’t the cheapest options out there, but quite a bit less expensive than a quality hobo knife.

More to come when they arrive.

[MadPlumbarian]

Good choice, you get a full spoon and a full fork rather then a simple spork, and you can simply use any pocket knife,, that set I posted with the clip connecting them all is titanium, I used to keep them in my lunchbox, absolutely no taste like some metals, one reason I like the plastic ones.. I also had a light my fire triangle mess kit, I have no clue where it went but it should be in this house somewhere, but I did enough digging around for one day, when the kid came home from work he looked everything over and was shocked,  he was like “wow, you really know how to be prepared”, and I told him “and I’m passing the knowledge on to you, it’s my job of being a father”! I think I hit a nerve, cause he didn’t speak and kept looking at each of the utensils,,
JR

[nate j]

They have arrived!

As expected, both are very lightweight.  Each weighs just 19 g on my scale.  They are thin and light enough for me to question how durable/rugged they will be, but I need to keep in mind that they are Ti.  The UCO feels a little more solid in hand, I suspect because the mid-section is wider.

The LMF version has a very consistent matte sort of finish.  The UCO version is shinier, but finish is less consistent.

The LMF spoon is a little larger and more oval-shaped, but shallower.  The UCO spoon is slightly smaller and more squarish, but deeper.

The LMF fork is a little broader, but the tines are sharper on the UCO.  Sharper tines are probably an advantage in use, but a disadvantage when carrying.

Both have a serrated “knife” edge on one side of the fork.  Neither seems particularly sharp, but that is fine with me.  I would rather not accidentally cut my mouth when eating with the fork, and I’ll always have real knives available should anything actually need to be cut.

An interesting feature of the UCO is the two lashing holes.  These would make it easy to hang up to dry or attach to a pack, and it even comes with its own little bungee cord for this purpose.

I haven’t eaten with either yet, so more to come then.

[nate j]

Finally got a chance to go out for the day.

I elected to use the spoon end of the LMF Spork to consume my lunch.  I do wish the whole implement were just a bit longer, but otherwise it was satisfactory.

Unfortunately, I can’t recommend the Mexican Style Adobo Rice & Chicken.  It wasn’t awful, just a bit bland and tasteless IMO.  I have a few more of these and they won’t go to waste, but I won’t be buying more.

My oldest son laid claim to the UCO Spork, and reported the spoon end was adequate to eat his macaroni & cheese.  (Sorry no pic.)

[Farmer X]

Duly noted on the meal. I've had a couple of Mountain House offerings. Teriyaki chicken was okay, but I could have done without the peas. Breakfast skillet wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, Meijer no longer has them on sale.

[Jack the Zipper]

Our national treasure, the og spoon-fork LuHa (lusikka-haarukka) has served our military, boy scouts, hikers and the like for about a hundred years. Unlike the LMF spork (of which I have in plastic and titanium) it is big enough for actual cooking. Heavy? Sure. It's a tank.

[Farmer X]

I like the looks of that combo. I may have to have one of the Finns ship me one when I have a little more discretionary income!

[nate j]

Duly noted on the meal. I've had a couple of Mountain House offerings. Teriyaki chicken was okay, but I could have done without the peas. Breakfast skillet wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, Meijer no longer has them on sale.

My favorite so far is the Fettucini Alfredo with Chicken.  Not only is it tasty, but (while MH says it is two servings) I find it just about the right size for lunch.  Some of the other smaller meals leave me still hungry.   The Yellow Curry is also pretty good, but a smaller portion.

[lister]

I use this. Though the 10 times I used it in the wild I mostly used just the forks to shred tuna, mix it with oil and eat it out straight out of the can, while chewing on stale pieces of bread torn straight of off the loaf while squatting. Gollum ain't got nothing one me... 

This technique does cut down on the amount of washing up one has to do with limited access to water though.


The rest  of the use this set saw was to eat take out. I was sitting down for that, like a civilized monkey I am while not out and about adventuring... 

[Jack the Zipper]

I use this. Though the 10 times I used it in the wild I mostly used just the forks to shred tuna, mix it with oil and eat it out straight out of the can, while chewing on stale pieces of bread torn straight of off the loaf while squatting. Gollum ain't got nothing one me... 

This technique does cut down on the amount of washing up one has to do with limited access to water though.


The rest  of the use this set saw was to eat take out. I was sitting down for that, like a civilized monkey I am while not out and about adventuring... 

Sweet! Looks like you bought a bonafide knife from Civivi and crafted the piggyback system for the opener and utensils yourself. Because the "knife" that comes with these sets is usually just dead weight.  I have the Light My Fire titanium spork in my work bag for those quick bites, takeaway, fast food if they have plastic utensils... But it doesn't travel flat, because of the shape, so I'm thinking something similar to your setup. Thank you for ideas that will cost money...

[AzteCypher]

I like that setup.  Where is that set from?

[Jack the Zipper]

I like that setup.  Where is that set from?

Google says Nextool. Naturally, I searched it right away...

[lister]

As you gadget sleuths already worked out, the tools are nextool and civivi. I payed around 16 eur for the titanium cutlery set, and around 70 for the knife. It's the best steel knife I own... 

I've been working on a cheaper and also more useful version for preparing food. While the civivi knife is awesome, it is rather thick for slicing bread, or maybe dicing onions. So I tried cutting down a victorinox paring knife, and grinding a groove diagonally across the handle so it would fit on to the nextool cutlery. You can see the first attempt on the picture below. I smurfed things up a bit. Also, I think I will grind the next iteration to form a wedge form the back to the front, so that the blade will be closer to the cutlery, and thus be less likely to slice me or my gear up. This setup, would cost a lot less than my current version. The paring knife was 5 eur at my local hardware store. An you can even get the cutlery in stainless steel version, which is even cheaper. So lets say around 20 eur for the whole setup.

As for knifes being bad in most cutlery sets, yeah. Though the set that came with the mess kit of former yugoslav army, and is still used by all the armies of the new states, including the Slovenian army can be made quite useful with a bit of grinding to remove the quasi serations.

[ToolJoe]

I don't have the brand in front of me but I have a utensil kit where the handles have attachments to make a fork, knife, spoon and chopsticks.

[wdjcb]

Opinel makes some that look promising. Their knives are great for cooking and eating. And they have a form and spoon I think.


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[nate j]

Opinel makes some that look promising. Their knives are great for cooking and eating. And they have a form and spoon I think.


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I looked at those, but didn’t pull the trigger.  You have to carry a No. 08 to make those work, so you’re either carrying an extra knife you don’t need, or you’re using an Opinel No. 08 as one of your main knives.  Neither ideal in my view.

And of course, you also have the big Achilles heel of traditional Opies, which is the susceptibility of the wood handles to moisture/water.  Not ideal from a washing/cleaning/sanitizing standpoint.

[wdjcb]

Yeah the French seem to value aesthetics over practicality. But they do make pretty things!

For that level of practicality, I like to look at Scandinavian manufacturers. I think you found the thing I would have suggested